Secrets Revealed
by OneDayAtATime028
Summary: Dr. Sullivan wants to meet with each of the girls individually, will they reveal their deepest secrets to her?
1. Chapter 1

She couldn't believe what was going on. These four young innocent girls were being stalked, each moment of their lives manipulated by a person whose identity was kept secret from them, a person who could only be referred to as 'A'. This person however, was pure evil (as described by Spencer), 'A' had a way of knowing when the four were at their weakest and knew how to use their secrets against them.

What's more, she couldn't believe she had actually managed to get the girls to open up to her, even Hanna whom she had had minor breakthroughs with, but instantly retreated back into her shell once she realized what was happening. However, as miraculous as their confession was, it was evident to Dr. Sullivan that there were still secrets harbored deep that they were still reluctant to tell.

A sudden knock at the door interrupted Dr. Sullivan's thought process. She glanced up at the clock, noting it was 4:30; she stood up and opened the door to her office. "Aria, thank you for coming," the therapist smiled genuinely and stepped to the side, allowing the teen to come in. Dr. Sullivan had requested that each of the girls come in for another solo session with her, if they were comfortable sharing what was probably the biggest secret of their lives with her in a group, she could only guess what would be said when they were able to have one on one time. "Please, take a seat," she motioned to the couch and Aria cautiously walked over and sat down.

It was amazing how even after such a breakthrough that the shells around these girls were still virtually impenetrable. "So Aria," Dr. Sullivan began, "have you received any—messages recently?" she asked, avoiding specifics so as not to cause any negative reactions from the girl sitting across from her.

"No," Aria said, the smallest of smiles tugging at her mouth, but it was clear she knew the battle wasn't over.

"You seem upset by that," Dr. Sullivan urged, trying to get any information she could. She had to admit, although it was not her job to do so, being able to help these girls track down their stalker and put an end to their misery would be a truly rewarding accomplishment.

Aria turned her gaze to look out the window, surveying the landscape, looking for anything out of place. "'A' is everywhere. What happened yesterday probably just ticked him-or her off. 'A' knows all our secrets, the madder we make 'A', the more miserable we all become."

"And why is that?"

Aria tore her eyes from the window and looked her therapist in the eye, "It's her favorite game. 'A' pits us against one another, using our own secrets to get us to reveal each other's."

"Her favorite game?" Dr. Sullivan questioned, putting emphasis on the 'her' Aria had used.

"I don't know for sure that 'A' is a girl—or a boy for that matter—it's just that 'A' is very similar to Alison…" her voice trailed off, her words holding a tone of pain as she talked about her lost friend.

"How so?"

"Ali lived for secrets," Aria explained, "she loved to hear everyone else's, and when you shared them with her she made you feel special. But if you ticked her off, she had a way of using your secrets against you. She always claimed that her intents were only to help though. At the time, it felt like she really was trying. I never really noticed, but I guess she never shared any of hers with us…"her voice trailed off once more, but this time a hint of betrayal could be heard in her voice.

"And why can't you tell these secrets?" Dr. Sullivan pressed, "Isn't it easier to tell the truth instead of having someone hold a lie against you?"

"I wish it were that simple," Aria said, and the confused look from her therapist urged her to continue. "In my case, they aren't just my secrets. If I told, someone else would get in a lot of trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Dr. Sullivan asked and Aria looked away, clearly unwilling to or unable to share the possible consequences. Dr. Sullivan leaned forward in her chair, "Aria, you do know everything you tell me I am legally not allowed to tell anyone."

"Anything?" Aria asked her voice barely in a whisper and her large eyes filled with sadness. And suddenly she seemed so small. One thing Dr. Sullivan had learned about Aria was that she was good at keeping a strong front. She didn't like to let people know when she was hurting or when she was afraid, so that word, although it was barely even audible, was a giant step.

"Yes, unless you are in danger of causing physical damage to yourself or someone else, I legally cannot tell anyone anything you say in here." Although as a professional rule, Dr. Sullivan tells each of her clients in their very first meeting this information, she has learned from her many years that it does wonders to repeat it.

Aria once again shifted her gaze to the window, and once she seemed content that no one was watching her, she turned to glance at the door, making sure it was shut securely before making eye contact with her therapist. "I'm doing something really bad," she paused, "Well, not bad for me or the other person involved, but if anyone were to find out it would be hell for him—" she froze, instantly regretting that she had revealed the gender of the other secret keeper.

Dr. Sullivan knew all too well that if she drew attention to Aria's slip up it could only cause her to shut down again, so instead she stored the piece of information in the back of her head and asked, "What do you mean by really bad?"

"Well I'm not totally sure, but it may be illegal…Google doesn't always help with everything."

Dr. Sullivan chooses this time to not respond, but only to look at Aria and wait for her.

"I—I'm seeing someone I shouldn't…and by seeing, I mean dating," Aria stated, her voice in a rush.

"And what about this relationship is illegal?" Dr. Sullivan asked, although she could guess she wanted Aria to give out all the information, she wanted Aria to trust her.

"The age difference," Aria looked down, afraid of the look the information she was giving out may warrant.

"How many years apart are you?"

"Six," she mumbled, still not looking up. It was weird to see Aria in this state. Even though she had only known Aria for a brief time, it was obvious that it was extremely rare that she ever let her front fall as far as it had in the 20 minutes since she had set foot in Dr. Sullivan's office.

"Well I can tell you right now you are doing nothing illegal. The age of consent in Pennsylvania is sixteen—"

"We're not doing anything like that," Aria interrupted quickly, not wanting her therapist to think anything about her that was untrue. "And even if it is legal, it's still really bad considering the circumstances." When Dr. Sullivan didn't say anything, Aria continued, her words spilling out of her mouth quickly, "We met at a bar on Labor Day last year and we connected, so we hooked up in the bathroom…and by hook up, I mean make out," Aria explained to eliminate any misunderstandings. "And it was great, but we left that night thinking we would never see each other again and…" her voice trailed off as it hit her that she was about to reveal something she hadn't told anyone before.

"And…" Dr. Sullivan prompted, not wanting the teen's new found bravery to diminish.

"And…," Aria sighed, continuing with her voice so quiet Dr. Sullivan had to strain her ears to hear, "He's my teacher…" Aria's gaze was on the ground, afraid to look up and see the criticism she would receive from her secret.


	2. Chapter 2

When the harsh critical remarks she had expected didn't come, Aria slowly looked up to see the expression on her therapists face. To her surprise, Dr. Sullivan's facial expression was very neutral, as if Aria hadn't said anything at all. There weren't even hints of disgust in her features, even though Aria had assumed the expression would have taken over her whole face. If anything, Dr. Sullivan looked as if she hadn't heard what Aria had just said.

"So you're dating your teacher," Dr. Sullivan stated, but it came out as a question, as if she was making sure she had the facts straight.

"Yes."

"Ok, and I—" Dr. Sullivan began to speak but was quickly cut off.

"Why are you not disgusted by that?" Aria demanded. She had become a little agitated at the lack of reaction from her therapist. This was a big moment for Aria; she had just shared her biggest secret ever, and Dr. Sullivan had barely even moved when she told her. "Why are you not lecturing me about how I shouldn't be dating someone who's that much older than me, and what more my teacher? Because I know it's wrong. And I know to others, this looks creepy and gross and weird. But it's not for us. When we're together age doesn't matter, so I don't understand why everyone else gives two shits about it!" Aria was all but yelling right now. It felt so good to tell someone all of this that the words just began to pour out of her mouth, as if they had been liquefied from being kept inside her for so long. When Aria realized the tone and volume of her voice she immediately shifted her gaze back to the ground, "sorry," she murmured.

Dr. Sullivan looked her over, and had Aria been looking back, she would have seen nothing but care and compassion in her therapist's eyes. "I'm not lecturing you because it's not my job to tell you what is right and what is wrong. I'm here for you to have someone to talk to, not for you to have another adult figure that you're afraid to tell things to."

"But you don't think it's weird?" Aria glanced up to see the emotions in Dr. Sullivan's eyes, then quickly back down to stare at a detail in the carpet that she suddenly found interesting.

It took her a minute to reply to this. "If I use your terms, I am neither 'disgusted' nor do I think it's weird. Your relationship is clearly different from everyone else's, that doesn't make it weird."

Aria let her eyes trail the rug for a couple seconds before looking Dr. Sullivan in the eye. "I wish my parents saw it the way you do."

"You told your parents?"

"No!" Aria's eyes grew wide and she shook her head quickly. "I could never tell them! They'd kick me out of the house! Even thought that would be extremely hypocritical on their part…but they wouldn't even wait to hear my side of the story, they would just jump to conclusions and assume the worst, like that he was forcing me into it, or that I was pregnant or something."

"You said it would be hypocritical of them to kick you out?" the therapist asked, hanging on that one sentence Aria had just said. "How is that?"

"Well…um…a couple years ago, Alison and I caught my dad kissing one of his students. He found out I saw and begged me not to tell," as Aria spoke, her eyes shifted around the room, and her voice held a tone of guilt to it.

"I'm assuming you told anyway?"

"No, A did, in the form of a note to my mother, complete with the fact that I knew he had cheated."

"What happened after your mom got the note?"

"My mom moved out, but then after she moved out, my parents had a fling I guess you could call it, and then my mom moved back in."

Dr. Sullivan nodded, she was trying her best not to let her face show her shock. She couldn't believe that these girls were going through being tortured by A, and then on top of that, they each had their own individual problems. She took a deep breathe to compose herself like they taught her to do in therapy school. "What makes you so sure that your parents would act so harshly if they ever found out?"

Aria closed her eyes briefly, inhaling deeply. "One day, my mom came into my room and told me she had heard a crazy rumor that Ezra was dating a student—" Aria froze immediately. Her eyes flew up to meet Dr. Sullivan's, desperately hoping that she hadn't picked up on the fact she had just used his name.

"Aria, breathe," Dr. Sullivan instructed, "Like I said before, I'm here for you to have someone to talk to, not to judge you are tell you what is right and wrong."

"I just…can we talk about this next time?" Aria suddenly blurted out, as she stood and pulled her bag over her shoulder.

"Yeah…sure," Dr. Sullivan agreed, slightly surprised. It wasn't much of a surprise to her that Aria wanted to end their session early however. Aria had shared a lot of secrets today, and that would be overwhelming for anyone.

"Thanks," Aria said quickly, and then she hurriedly ran out of the room, closing the door behind her.

**Sorry it took me so long to update this one! I have a couple stories/oneshots in progress right now so hopefully I'll be able to get some more chapters/stories out for you guys soon! **


	3. Chapter 3

"So, I'm fine, my mom is fine, my relationship with Kate is fine, and I haven't thought about Ali all week, can I go now?" Hanna Marin quickly said. She had just arrived less than a minute ago and the clock on the wall behind her read 4:47…exactly 17 minutes after her appointment was scheduled to start.

"What do you mean you haven't thought of Alison in a week?" Dr. Sullivan asked, choosing to ignore Hanna's request.

"I mean exactly that."

"Does that mean you haven't gotten any messages?" The therapist pressed.

"Nope," Hanna folded her arms across her chest and leaned back against the couch.

"Why do you think that is?" Dr. Sullivan asked, once again attempting to get the blonde to open up.

"I don't know." Hanna said flatly. She stared across the room at a framed reprint of Van Gogh's Starry Night, waiting for the next question to come. After about a minute of silence went by she glanced at Dr. Sullivan. Her therapist merely titled her head up slightly, implying her desire for Hanna to continue. "I don't know," Hanna repeated, "I guess A is either done with us, or planning something evil. Either way, I'm glad for the break."

"And what about your friends, have they been receiving any messages lately?"

"Don't you have one-on-one meetings like this with them? Can't you just ask them yourself?" Hanna spat, her tone a little more acidic than she had intended, but it got her point across.

Dr. Sullivan leaned back in her chair. "Yes I suppose you are right, but I can't be entirely sure they are telling me the truth, unlike with you Hanna. You like to speak your mind and have your feelings heard." Hanna shot her a confused look and the therapist continued. "Hanna, I don't want you to think of this as an obligation, I want you to just think of me as another person you can talk to. You can tell me anything you need to and I legally can't tell a single other soul, unless you are in danger of hurting yourself or someone else. I want to be here for you Hanna, to tell things to that you can't even tell your friends, but I need you to trust me."

"Yeah, well I can't trust you. I can't trust anyone except for my friends."

"Why not?"

"In case you forgot, the past year of my life has been manipulated by some crazy psycho stalker. My best friend was murdered a couple years ago. My evil stepsister might as well have stepped right out of a fairy tale and on top of all of that, no matter how hard I try, my dad will never love me as much as he loves the family he left me and my mom for! So I'm sorry if going to therapy and talking to a complete and total stranger isn't on the top of my to do list but—" Hanna froze. She closed her eyes and took a deep breathe in trying to regain her composure.

"My parents used to abuse me," Dr. Sullivan murmured.

"What?" Hanna's eyes shot open and she stared at the woman in the chair across from her.

"It's true. They got caught and I got put into foster care. About a year later I was adopted and I refused to talk to or go anywhere near my new parents unless necessary."

"So what happened?" Hanna asked, spotting what appeared to be a family portrait framed on Dr. Sullivan's desk.

"Well, much like you, I felt like I couldn't trust anyone, but my parents made me go see a therapist anyway."

"You must have loved that," Hanna smirked. Finally, someone who understood where she was coming from!

"You and I were very similar Hanna. I didn't talk for the first bunch of meetings. I just sat there in silence while my therapist desperately tried to get me to open up to her…" Dr. Sullivan's voice trailed off.

"And you're parents realized how pointless it was for you to go there and they let you stop going," Hanna hopefully filled in the blank.

"No quite," Dr. Sullivan continued. "One day, I just couldn't take it anymore. And I just spilled my guts to her." She paused to look at the blonde whose disposition had changed greatly since her entrance into the office. "I walked out of her office that day, and I couldn't remember ever feeling better. It was like a thousand tons had been lifted off my shoulders."

"What are you trying to say?" Hanna stiffened, suddenly realizing where Dr. Sullivan was going with this.

"I'm not trying to say anything. I just wanted to share a little piece of my life with you. And I want you to know that if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here."

Hanna pulled her lips into her mouth, "Well, thanks for the offer," she glanced at the clock and immediately stood up, grabbing her bag. "Time to get going!" she quickly made her way to the door and yanked it open. "Maybe we could talk more next time," she added quietly over her shoulder, and without giving her therapist a chance to reply, she quickly turned and scurried out the door.


End file.
